1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to electrical power connectors used to supply power to a printed circuit board.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
FCI USA, Inc. manufactures and sells printed circuit board power and signal connectors known as PwrBlade™ in a connection system. An example of the PwrBlade™ connector can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,075. FCI USA, Inc. also manufactures and sells high-speed signal connectors known as Metral™. There is a desire to provide a printed circuit board power connector which can be stacked alongside a Metral™ connector, or a similar connector, such as the connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,212 or a FutureBus™ connector.
There is also a desire to increase amperage density of printed circuit board power connectors. For example, there is a desire to increase amperage density to about 60 amps per half inch in a card-to-back panel interface. Connector specifications for secondary circuits in card-to-back panel interfaces, such as standards for clearance and creepage for a given Voltage, also exist such as in UL 60950, IEC 61984 and IEC 664-1. There is a desire to provide a printed circuit board power connector system which can meet these standards for higher voltage connections, such as 150 volts or more for example.